Welcome to Phare Ponleu Selpak, the brightness of the art

Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) is a non-profit Cambodian association working with vulnerable children, young adults and their families through 3 interweaving fields of intervention: Arts schools, Social support and Educational programs.

Phare Ponleu Selpak was created in 1994 by nine young Cambodians who returned to their country after a childhood spent in the refugee camps at the Thai border. They wanted to help to rebuild their country through social and educative actions and, importantly, the recognition of Khmer art and culture.

The organization gradually gathered more and more children living in difficult situations, such as streets kids, trafficked children and orphans, and helped them to reintegrate into society through the medium of culture and arts. The artistic training offered has been found to aid concentration, communication and creative thinking skills, thus vastly improving the choices available to children as they reach adulthood.

Let’s support our next generation of circus artists!

Autumn 2015 is an exciting time for our professional circus artists. For the first time, they are touring in the United States!

This is the result of long hours of training during more than 5 years at our campus in Battambang. From freshman students, they have bloomed into amazingly skilled artists at an international level. This wouldn’t have been possible without their incredible commitment as well as the determination of the PPS teachers and staff, who provided them with the best possible training and support.

We can proudly say that we reached our goal of excellence with this troupe of beautiful artists. But it is now time to face a new challenge: pass on these admirable skills and passion to the next generation of students. Trust us, they are highly motivated, and we don’t want to let them down. But as all training is free at PPS, we need your support!

What do we need to train our students?

Teachers: without them, nothing is possible

Training and development for our teachers, to make sure they maintain their skills and utilize the latest pedagogical techniques

Administrative staff to manage the activities of the school, from scheduling class rosters, to seeking our professional opportunities for students, to following up with those who may be struggling at home

Taking care of our facilities, so our students have safe spaces in which to learn and perform

Purchasing materials, from juggling balls to make up and safety material, to make sure our students look great and are safe at the same time

Can you imagine how much all this would cost? Well, at Phare Ponleu Selpak, we know the figures: 673 USD per year per student, which works out as 56 USD per month.

We sent 6 of our circus artists and 3 of our musicians to the United States this year. Join us in our next goal: to support the same number of students at school for one year! Together, let’s create our next Cambodian stars!

Do you want to see more of PPS’s circus artists touring in the United States in the coming years? Then donate now!

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